One of my greatest achievements in life is earning certification as a Kansas City Barbecue Society judge. I don’t know how to put this, but I’m kinda a big deal. That being the case, judge certification was never the main goal. It’s an opportunity for me to learn about the art and science of competition barbecue with the intent of competing at some point.
Now that life has slowed down I’ve been scoping out a good entry competition. It just so happens that the town we now live in is having a contest the second weekend in September, and it’s tied to an event at my alma mater. It’s not a KCBS sanctioned event, and it has some unorthodox rules and judging, but it could be a great first experience. Preseason, if you will. Or “a friendly” if you’re well-versed in soccer vernacular.
First things first, though. If I’m going to enter, I need a team name. I’m 99% sure it will be a Star Wars themed name, but I can’t settle on just the right one. I’m coming to you for help. Please cast votes via the comments section on this page, or on one of the social networking sites through which you are connected to me. I’m also accepting votes via text, phone call, in-person conversation, written correspondence and smoke signal. And please, feel free to put forth any additional name nominations. I need to get this right, and will leave no stone unturned. Not even the Rock of Gibraltar.
Possible team names I’ve come up with include:
- Jabba-Q – A great wordplay, but it doesn’t conjure up a lot of appetizing images. Jabba’s never been one of my favorite characters in the Star Wars universe, either. Well, I guess I’ve officially talked my way out of this selection.
- Admiral AckbarBQ (alternate: Admiral Ackbarbecue) - My daughter heard me and The Manny do our Ackbar impersonation so many times over the last year that she now attempts to recreate his most famous line on a regular basis.
- Let the Wookie Win – Do you want your barbecue chewy? No. But this name has a lot of potential when it comes to decorating the booth, and is one of my favorite lines from any of the films.
- Beggar’s Canyon BBQ - I love the coy poetry of this selection. Only hardcore fans would know it was a Star Wars reference, which would be a cool shout-out to the series. And it would be a good conversation starter as I can imagine a lot of people would swing by the booth wanting to know where Beggars Canyon is located.
- Cell Block 1138 – Also an under-the-radar reference, though probably not a likely winner in that it’s a tad too gangsta.
www.russellwalks.com
- meAT-AT – The AT-AT is my favorite vehicle in the universe. I plan on picking up one of the classic AT-AT toys off eBay and pairing it in my office next to one of the soon-to-be-released incarnation. This name looks the coolest, but would probably be awkward for Star Wars novices to pronounce when calling the team up for awards. Any other AT-AT themed suggestions would be appreciated.
- Porkins Up in Smoke - A bit morbid, for sure. But pretty funny and a good reference to some of the longer-running jokes in the Star Wars community.
- Death Starbecue – On the one hand, the Death Star strikes fear into the hearts of millions thanks to its destructive power. On the other hand, it got owned. Twice.
As you can tell, I’ve been dedicating a lot of mental energy to this project. If I end up using your idea over one of my own, I’ll reward your brilliance with a smoked pork shoulder. Game recognize game, son.
Renew and Restore
